Italian renaissance for 83rd Piazza di Siena

There is a huge sense of something very exciting about to happen as preparations go into overdrive ahead of the 83rd CSIO Rome which will take place at Piazza di Siena in the beautiful Villa Borghese from 21 to 24 May.

A new Show Director in the popular and experienced Eleonora Ottaviani, a new President for the national governing body, FISE, in the legendary Vittorio Orlandi, one of the most respected course designers in the world in Uliano Vezzani, a host of golden stars and the renewed energy that saw Team Italy gallop to victory in the opening leg of the prestigious Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ 2015 Jumping series, combine to promise a fabulous four days of sport. Right now it feels like an Italian showjumping revival is taking place, and Piazza di Siena will be celebrating all that when the action gets underway next Thursday morning.

In keeping with tradition, the event has attracted the very best, including all four members of The Netherlands team that claimed the World Championship title last summer. And that Dutch side also includes the individual World Champion Jeroen Dubbeldam who, like Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat and Canada’s Eric Lamaze is also an Olympic gold medallist. Even the reigning European Champion, Roger-Yves Bost, will be flying the flag for France, while the British team could consist entirely by members of the world-famous Whitaker clan, with brothers John and Michael joined by John’s son, Robert, and his cousins George and William.

Top-class competition can be expected all week, with the third leg – presented by Longines – of the Furusiyya Europe Division 1 series taking centre stage on Friday when teams from Belgium, Great Britain, The Netherlands, Qatar, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland will line out. But they will have to be right on top of their game because the host nation really means business now that Italy has been restored to the elite group of nations after a period in Division 2.

Belgium came out on top in Rome last year, but, on Belgian soil two weeks ago, Piergiorgio Bucci, Lorenzo de Luca, Luca Moneta and Daniele Augusto da Rios reigned supreme, pinning their nearest rivals into runner-up spot by a significant six-fault margin. It may be 30 years since Italy’s last Nations Cup victory at Piazza di Siena, but Hans Horn’s Italian side has made an early declaration that, in 2015, it is very definitely a force to be reckoned with.

Saturday’s Puissance will be replaced this year by a Loro Piana Six-Bar competition that is likely to draw many of the top riders to this tough test of horse-power and horsemanship, while Sunday’s Loro Piana Grand Prix, with its 200.000 euros in prize-money, can be relied upon to be another thriller.Canada’s Eric Lamaze will be hoping to make it a back-to-back double of Rome Grand Prix wins with Zigali PS, but he’ll have plenty of others standing in his way including reigning Olympic champion Steve Guerdat who recently added the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping title to his already impressive portfolio of successes.

The grace, elegance and splendour of the Villa Borghese is the perfect background to the 83rd Piazza di Siena which, for the second year, carries the additional title of “The D’Inzeo Masters” in respect of the revered Italian international showjumping legends, and brothers, Piero and Raimondo D’Inzeo. New FISE President, Vittorio Orlandi, rode alongside those two greats when winning team bronze at the Munich Olympic Games back in 1972 together whit Graziano Mancinelli, and, next week, his gentle wisdom and depth of experience will add yet another new dimension to an event that has so proudly stood the test of time and continues to thrive in ever-changing times.